Shark Bites Girl in Florida Waters

A 10-year-old girl is expected to recover after she was bitten on the leg by a shark in waters off Cocoa Beach Saturday.

The run-in with the shark happened around 1:30 p.m. in knee-deep water, the Palm Beach Post is reporting. The child was bitten on the right leg and was taken to a local hospital for treatment of her injuries.

The beach closed down for several hours, but reopened later Saturday without incident.

“I look over and I see four puncture wounds and everybody was saying, ‘shark,’” WFTV quoted nearby swimmer Jimmy Acevdeo as saying. He was right next to the child when the attack occurred.

It’s been a busy summer for shark bites throughout Florida.

See Also: Hammerhead Shark Causes Panic on Florida Beach

A fisherman was bitten by a shark in the Panhandle in July, and there have been several other reports throughout the state, including an attack on a 22-year-old woman in Ft. Lauderdale and one on a 14-year-old boy in New Smyrna Beach.

Swimmers in the Panhandle were also shocked when a hammerhead came up to shore and hung around for a time. The appearance created panic among beachgoers.

Florida has logged 687 confirmed, unprovoked shark attacks between 1882 and 2013, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. Fatalities during that time period have been rare with 11 reported.